


It's the Wrong Time

by fourthlinegrind (moonlightxprincess13)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Buy-out Fic, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 11:01:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightxprincess13/pseuds/fourthlinegrind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny hadn't slept well in weeks. He'd known for a long time that he was going to be bought out so it wasn't a surprise when he went in to talk to Holmgren. Hell he'd done and interview on the subject before the playoffs were even finished. It still stung though, to know that he was no longer wanted in Philadelphia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's The Wrong Time

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been the emotional death of me. It took me months to write because if I never finished it Danny never left right? RIGHT? Sigh. Title is from 9 Crimes by Damien Rice that I had on repeat while I wrote this (you should listen to it). Beta'ed by my wonderful Derpydrewdoughty(Skinner_girl), any remaining mistakes are my own.

Danny hadn't slept well in weeks. He'd known for a long time that he was going to be bought out so it wasn't a surprise when he went in to talk to Holmgren. Hell he'd done and interview on the subject before the playoffs were even finished. It still stung though, to know that he was no longer wanted in Philadelphia. His head swam with a combination of alcohol and questions as he sat at the kitchen counter, watching the clock turn from eleven to twelve to eventually one. He sighed and stood up, making his way upstairs. The boys were at their mother's, so his house sat empty and quiet, yet full of suffocating memories. 

He walked past the front door, brushing his fingers across the painted wood and remembering all of the times that the boys had slammed it open, leaving the ever-growing hole in the wall next to it. He stood in the living room, staring and the dark screen of the television and thinking of the video game tournaments that had taken place over the years and the controllers that had been thrown dangerously close but never breaking the screen. He held onto the railing as he walked up the stairs, reliving all of the nights that he and Claude had been too drunk, clinging to each other in laughter and an alcoholic fog, tripping up the wooden cascade and hoping, praying the wouldn't fall.

He passed by his boy's dark rooms, clothes and everything spread across the floor, imaging them still asleep in the beds where they belong. Danny stood for a long time outside of his guest room, pushing lightly on the heavy door so that it opened just enough to see the empty bed, the empty closet and the ghost of everyone who had ever stayed there. He leaned against the doorframe, remembering the aftermath of bad losses and crushing defeats that he would check, if only for a moment, to make sure Claude and Sean were still okay, still breathing. Heaving himself up, he made his way to his room, his eyes catching the framed pictures of those he had known before and those he had met here. He made it to the foot of his bed before he sat down. 

Catching the tears from spilling over he thought of all of the nights that he and Claude had come so close, sharing the same space and breath, but never close enough. He dropped his head into his hands, fighting back the memories. Of all the things he would be leaving behind here there was one thing, one person he'd never be complete without. Danny's stomach turned as he thought about Claude, the times he had lived with him, the time spent abroad in Germany, every game, every practice and every day. Claude had always been there but Danny was too afraid, too worried about losing him that he never said anything. He never reached down and grabbed his hand, never tucked his curls behind his ears, never told him the truth: Danny was in love with him. But now it was too late. He curled under the heavy comforter, too warm for July, in an effort to stave off the shivering as he tortured himself with the fantasies of him and Claude, ones that would never come to pass, not now. Turning towards his nightstand, he picked up his phone and held it in his hands. The number on the screen matched that of the object of Danny's desires, but he fell asleep before he could call or even send a message, the phone falling out of his hands and to the floor.

 

Danny woke too early the next day, peeling his eyes open to see the sun rising through the cracks in the window shade, the violent red-orange light casting shadows across the floor. he sat up to see his phone on the floor, the number undialed. Fresh tears bit at the corners of his eyes as he forced himself to the bathroom to wash away the bitterness of the night before. His head was pounding as he turned the warm water on, letting it run as he searched for painkillers. His heart clenched as his hands brushed the tiny glass bottle of horrendous aftershave that Claude had left behind after moving out, insisting that Danny should keep it after he tried returning it. He forced himself to look presentable, or at least not as horrible as he felt, knowing that he was going out to dinner with some of the te-the Flyers. 

Chewing on his lower lip he tried to force the idea that they were no longer his teammates into his head. He made his way down the creaking stairs slowly, starting the coffee machine before glancing over to check the time on the oven to see that it wasn't even six yet . He poured a bowl of stale cereal, standing over the sink. Danny pushed the cereal around with a spoon, knowing that he should eat but unable to stomach anything solid. He pushed it towards the faucet, leaving it in favor of collapsing onto the couch and spilling only a small amount of his coffee. He took a few mouthfuls before setting it on the table and pulling a throw pillow to his chest, pressing his face into it and sliding back into sleep. 

Danny woke a few hours later, when the sun had fully risen. He picked up the mug, still half full, and placed it next to the uneaten cereal. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he found a clean pair of sweats and an old, battered Flyers shirt and pulled them on. He grabbed his car keys out of the bowl beside the door and begrudgingly set a path for the gym, knowing it would at least be enough to pull his mind from his thoughts.

Pushing until every muscle in his body hurt and sweat pasted the shirt to his skin, he didn't leave until his mind was completely numb. Danny turned the air on in his car, sitting with the engine running and chest heaving until his body reached a normal temperature. He took the long way home, adding a few extra minutes to the commute. When he finally made it back to the house, he let the car idle in the driveway before heading inside. 

 

Stripping off the sweat-soaked clothing as he went, Danny made his way to the shower upstairs. Letting the water run until it was warm he looked himself over in the mirror, tracing old scars that littered his torso and bruises that were still healing from the season. He let his fingers trail over the dark circles under his eyes, realizing how old and defeated he looked. Danny stood under the warm spray, letting it envelop him and wash away not only the sweat that stuck to his skin but the smell of last night's alcohol and the sadness that clung to him. 

By the time Danny had found an outfit that didn't hang off his frame and had composed himself enough to leave the house, Scott was pulling into the driveway. Seeing the state of disrepair that the house was in he chose to meet Hartsy outside, feeling the heat of the early evening sun beat down onto his face. "Danny boy!" Hatsy had jumped out of the driver's seat and flung his arms around him. "Montreal eh? Suits you just fine I think." He had a beaming smile on his face and smelled of sweat and sunscreen. For the first time in a while, Danny let himself smile.

"Yeah," he replied, breaking away. "It'll be an interesting change of pace." He made his way to the door of Hartsy's car. "Not the same without you all though." Danny felt his face fall at the last statement and kicked himself mentally for it.

"I mean no one could ever replace us," Hartsy answered as he got into the car. "But you have a whole new set of crazy fuckers now. Have you seen Price? Holy shit man." He had put the car into reverse and was backing out of the driveway. "And fingers crossed you'll be back here in two years." He smiled over at Danny as he turned onto the street and headed towards downtown Philly. 

By the time they arrived outside the steakhouse Danny was smiling and laughing, genuinely happy for the first time in a while. He watched as Hartsy opened the door for him, gesturing that he exit the car as though he was Danny's date, to which he shook his head but obliged as they linked arms at the elbow and proceeded into the restaurant. It was good to see everyone, that was for sure. He glanced around the table to see both Schenns, Simmer, Coots, Kimmo, a handful of others who had their backs to him. Danny's gaze traveled slowly and his stomach dropped as he saw the ginger curls, and he could recognize the back of Claude's head from any angle. Hartsy, sensing the impending drop in Danny's mood, shoved him on the shoulder lightly and manhandled him into the nearest empty chair between him and Rinaldo, who was spouting something about whatever clothing company he was working with. "Danny man, its good to see you!" Rinny slapped him on the back, causing Danny to narrowly avoid spitting his water all over the table.

"Careful Rinny, he's so old you might kill him!" Danny looked up to see Coots scolding him, a very serious tone of voice undermined by the grin spreading wide on his face.

"I'm not that old yet," Danny protested as he reached for the bottle of wine on the table. Coots rolled his eyes and went back to discreetly playing table football with the paper that previously held his silverware together with Brayden. The conversation settled as orders were placed and had rolled around to the last few games of the season between the Blackhawks and the Bruins by the time the food had arrived. "Not that I particularly like Boston, but I mean anyone but the Hawks." Kimmo was shaking his head as he was cutting his steak.

"I can't believe Carbomb got a fucking cup before me man." Hartsy was shaking his head in a mixture of mild disbelief and fondness. "That kid's a mess." The eventual lull came as everyone was finishing the last of their meal; no one had yet touched the subject of Danny's inevitable departure. For the first time that night Danny let his eyes travel across the table and meet Claude's, clouded over with god only knows what. Probably the wine, Danny thought. 

"So, did you find some place in Montreal yet?" The words rolled off of Claude's lips like silver but stung like poison. Danny swirled the remainder of the wine in his glass, taking a mouthful before answering.

"Yeah, I went up a few weekends ago and found an apartment right outside of the city. It's in a complex that's small and secluded, not too far from the rink." He felt the ghost of a smile tug at his lips, trying to be genuinely happy. "I'll have to go shopping at some point, I've decided to keep the house here too." His voice trailed off at the end. Danny looked up and Claude was nodding.

"Shopping for new furniture is the worst." He watched as Claude chewed on his bottom lip. An uncomfortable silence had fallen over the table and Max decided it was his turn to fix it.

"Alright everyone, Hartsy here as offered to pay the bill," Max smiled as he watched Scott try to object before resigning himself to pulling his wallet out, "and we're heading to a place down in Old City." A grin was pulling at his face. "We're gonna get shit-faced! Not you Coots sit down." Danny huffed out a laugh as he watched the indignation spread across Sean's face, who was still technically too young to drink legally in the States. 

"I'm too old for this," he sighed and heaved himself out of his seat, lightheaded from the wine. "Sean you're coming too," Sean's face light up. 

"Everyone who's supposed to be driving is still okay, right?" Kimmo spoke as the few who drove nodded, grabbing their possessions. 

"Let's go Danny Boy." Harsty clapped his shoulder and the group turned to leave and head to their respective cars. 

 

Danny was giddy by the time they had parked the car and were joining the group as they filed into the bar. Max had bought the first round of shots, passing them to everyone except Sean who was making grabby hands at them. Max shook his head and sighed, deeply put upon, before giving him one. "To Danny, Mr. Playoffs, you will forever be a Flyer, but knock 'em dead in Montreal." They raised their glasses in agreement before tossing them back. A few, including Brayden and Oliver, choked as they put their glasses back on the table.

"What the actual fuck did you put in there?" Max smiled as Brayden reached for a glass of water.

"I'll never tell." He made a motion like he was zipping his lips. Danny had eased into a booth with Kimmo and Simmer, smiling widely as Claude brought a few beers back and slid in next to Danny, causing him to tense ever so slightly. The team did a few more obligatory rounds of shots together, toasting Danny and Montreal, and warning him he better not win against them. He laughed and agreed, his head swimming in alcohol. After a while some of the younger guys began peeling off and trying to pick up, all of them incredibly over dressed. Danny sat back in the booth, slouching as he tried to make a pyramid out of the shot glasses he had collected over the course of the night and had yet to give back, topping it off with a couple of empty beer bottles.

"Worst case scenario you could always be an architect I guess," Simmer laughed as he watched Danny's hands hover clumsily around his creation, trying to make sure it didn't fall over. 

"And I think that's enough for you there," Hartsy had made his way over to the smaller group, collecting the glasses on a tray full of dirty ones. Danny sighed and rolled his eyes, taking his beer in his hand and taking a mouthful in rebellion against Hartsy's wishes and laughed as the other man shook his head and took the tray back to the bar. He felt Claude press back into the booth next to him for a moment to grab his phone. 

"I just saw this blonde at the bar and holy shit man, her eyes were so blue. I gotta go find her." Danny's heart stood still as his stomach twisted in on itself, watching Claude saunter over to the bar, the alcohol just barely evident in his gait. Danny placed the empty bottle on the table and started picking at his fingers before taking a deep breath. 

"I think I'm gonna head home." He watched Kimmo and Voracek's faces fall as he stood up. "I know I'm an old man but I've gotta get up early and start packing tomorrow." He turned to say the rest of his goodbyes, for the last time to many of them, before letting Hartsy know he was taking a cab home. A sadness misted over his eyes as he spoke.

"Thanks for taking me out," he pulled Scott into a deep embrace. "I'll be fine, keep in touch, eh?" His voice faltered on the last words as he pulled away.

"Of course man, you call if you ever need anything okay? I mean it, anything." Danny saw his face twist and his eyes water, trying hard not to let the alcohol and the emotions overwhelm him.

"Of course." Danny thrusted his hands into his pockets as he side-stepped Scott and headed towards the door. "I'll see ya around." His stomach clenched as he turned to see a mess of ginger curls chatting up a short blonde at the bar and he let a few stray tears run down his face as he mouthed a whispered "goodbye", unable to actually make his way over and say it. Pushing the door open into the muggy July night he stepped out and hailed a cab, his hands shaking as he opened the door and told them his address, clutching his sides as he shivered the entire car ride home. 

 

The cab pulled up outside his house, dark and empty, and he thanked the driver, giving him a more than generous tip and made his way slowly up the path to the front door. Danny fumbled with his keys for a while before finding the one that opened the door. It creaked open and he bit down a bitter sadness. Able to make it to the kitchen before collapsing he pulled out a bottle of rum from the cabinet and poured a small glass, spilling a little all around the counter. Sighing, he took the stairs slowly, trying to balance the glass and his motions and avoid falling. Danny sat on the side of his bed, polishing off the glass before peeling off his pants and shirt, both sweat-soaked and reeking of alcohol, and laying down. His head pounded as he thought over and over again of Claude and the blonde, and his own inability to say anything yet again. 

He pulled a pillow over his face as he counted the days until his flight, two days until a one-way ticket took him to Canada for god knows how long. He felt hot tears stream down his face as he thought of his boys and Sylvie, who would see him off at the airport. He thought about the faces of his ex-teammates, the way that Scott and Kimmo had looked at him before he left. Soaking the pillow and pulling down so he could openly sob, Danny let himself think about the life that he could have had with Claude. The one where he told Claude how he felt and he reciprocated, the one where Claude had never moved out, where they had bought matching silver bands and had a small ceremony in the backyard with their closest friends. The one where Claude drove the kids to their games and met Danny there, where they would argue about who's turn it was to cook and take the dogs out. Feeling a hole tearing itself open in Danny's chest, he clutched the pillow as close to him as he could and tucked his knees up to his chest, audibly gasping for air.

Something downstairs grabbed his attention and he pulled himself upright, listening to the creaking sound of the door opening and closing. Someone was stumbling in his living room and it took every ounce of brainpower and coordination Danny had to remember to put sweatpants and a shirt on and not fall over in the process. Running a hand through his hair he exhaled, avoiding looking in the mirror as he passed it. Whatever, maybe if they saw how pathetic he looked they wouldn't rob him. He could smell the alcohol on his breath as he trekked back down the stairs and saw a the ginger of Claude's hair illuminated by the moonlight that spilled through his open windows. Sucking a breath in, he made his way around to the front of the couch. "Claude?" 

Claude had sprawled out on the cushions and weakly held up the spare key, flashing it in the light. His gaze shifted to Danny, his eyes full and wet. "You left without saying goodbye." His voice was shaky and he let the key fall to the ground; he looked up to Danny, full of hurt. "Why didn't you come find me?" Claude propped himself up, leaning heavily against the arm of the couch. "You just left." Danny moved to sit next to him, but as he shifted the shimmers of light caught the track of dried tears on his face and Claude was caught off guard. He just looked at Danny, eyes wide and full of concern as the older man sat down next to him, shrugging slightly before speaking

"You looked like you were having fun, I tried to find you at the bar but you were with someone and I didn't want to interrupt." Danny's eyes were downcast as he spoke, his words only slurring slightly. Claude's face fell as he listened, and after making sure that Danny was finished he stood defiantl , unsteady on drunken feet, using his height to tower over the other man. 

"Danny-" he was cut off as Danny stood up and threw his arms around the back of his neck, pulling him in closer and pressing a deep kiss, one full of years of unspoken words, to his lips. Hesitant, Claude placed his hands on Danny's hips before kissing back. Danny pulled back with a quick breath, startled. 

"I…Claude…" Fresh tears stung at the corners of Danny's eyes as his breath caught in his throat. The starlight that poured in the room played off of Claude's sparkling eyes, across the cut of his cheekbones and down to his pale lips. He had to remind himself to breathe before spilling over the edge. "I love you Claude, je t'aime, I always have." The words poured out of Danny's mouth slowly, slipping one after the other. He felt as though he had been punched afterwords, breathless and sick. He tumbled down to the couch, trying to catch his breath. "The first time I saw you, I…" he shook his head in frustration. "And then I asked you to move in…and I…" Danny was trying to gather his thoughts, but instead he watched Claude sit down next to him, waiting patiently. "And you were so perfect with the boys…" He looked up in desperation. "What if I had lost that? What if I had lost you?"

"You wouldn't have Danny," Claude's voice was patient and full of warmth. "I wasn't going anywhere and I'm still not." He reached a hand up to brush away the tears on Danny's cheek with steady hands. Shaking under Claude's touch, he let a quiet sob.

"But I am," His face and voice filled with sadness as he held Claude's hand in his own, hovering over his heart. Letting himself shrink back into the couch, Danny felt Claude's hand drift away from his own. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Claude exhaled slowly.

"Let's not think about that right now, okay?" Voice even-toned, he leaned forward and cupped Danny's face in his hands. "You're still here for now." Claude stroked Danny's cheekbone with his thumb, dropping the other hand to his shoulder and kissed him. Letting himself become consumed by the kiss Danny ran a hand through Claude's hair, letting it come to rest on the back of his neck. The kiss was slow and passionate, even delicate until Danny felt Claude gently bit down on his lower lip, trapping it in between his teeth and tugging gently. Danny responded by letting his tongue slip through Claude's parted lips and cautiously explore the other man's mouth. Goosebumps littered Danny's skin as Claude trailed his fingers across the sensitive skin of Danny's neck, and he let out a small, weak moan and pulled back to catch his breath.

"Claude…" Danny's breath was shallow as he spoke, watching the equally fast rise and fall of Claude's chest who still inhabited the same space as Danny. He watched as Claude stretched out a hand, now unsteady, and brushed the hair out of Danny's face and curled it behind his ear. Wordlessly, Danny stood up and reached for Claude's hand, interlocking their fingers. Feeling Claude stand and press himself to his back, Danny slowly made his way to the stairs. Creaking underfoot for the second time that night, the stairs filled the silence between them. Halfway between the first and second floors Danny turned to face Claude. A thin smile spread across his face as he realized that, for the first time, he was taller than Claude. Letting out a soft laugh, he pressed a kiss to the top of Claude's head as the ginger placed his hands on Danny's hips. 

"You're ridiculous old man," Claude whispered. Danny's smile widened and he let his chin rest on Claude's head for a moment, feeling Claude's arms wrap around his waist and hold him steady. Claude's face was pressed against Danny's chest when Danny pulled away and climbed the remained of the stairs. The lights were still off in Danny's room when they entered, but the illumination from the stars provided enough light to see. Danny paused in his path and Claude wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer. He felt Claude push the hair away from his neck and press a series of soft, open-mouthed kisses from his jaw to his shoulder. Danny curved to face Claude, still in his arms, and started to undo the buttons of his dress shirt from the top, and grazed a trail of kisses as he went. "Danny…" Claude's voice was low and broken as he spoke. 

"Shh" Danny whispered as he took a hold of the open ends of Claude's shirt and pulled him onto the bed, almost completely smothering him. Danny watched as Claude sat back on his heels and shrugged the shirt off, the light from the window catching the definition of his chest and stomach muscles and the way that they contracted as he moved. Danny sat up as Claude lifted his shirt off and ran his hands across his chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Sucking in a quick breath as Claude's mouth followed his hands, Danny felt a heat pool low in his stomach, full of an aged want and desperation. With help from Claude, Danny managed to pull his sweatpants off. He reached for the button on Claude's jeans and had only reached the zipper when Claude pulled off of Danny's skin to finish the task. Danny took a moment to run his index and middle finger down the line of Claude's sternum, letting them brush his stomach before falling back to his side. 

Claude hooked his fingers in the waistband of Danny's boxer-briefs and tugged them off before removing his own. Leaning down on his elbows, Claude sucked on a patch of skin right below Danny's ear, feeling the smaller man twist and moan beneath him. Claude lightly bit down on the skin and closed his fingers around the other man's dick loosely. Pulling away and smiling down at Danny, Claude moved himself down the bed and locked eyes with Danny as he wrapped his lips around him, watching as he gripped the sheets in his fingers. Moving his head slowly up and down Danny's length, Claude felt one of Danny's hands run through his hair and catch in a fist of his curls. Claude's eyes never moved from Danny's even when the other man's shut, casting his head back in contentment.

Danny ran his fingers underneath the delicate skin of Claude's ears and traced invisible patterns on his neck, slowly coaxing the ginger back up and maintaining eye contact the entire time. They laid there, breathless and gazing into each other's eyes. Danny opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and instead pulled Claude in for a deep kiss. He felt an emptiness as Claude pulled away, but his mouth was soon filed with Claude's fingers. Danny sucked on them and looked up at Claude, who's eyes were dark with passion. A series of small, despairing gasps fell from his mouth as Claude's fingers dragged across his skin and dipped into him. Tipping his head back, Danny let Claude's lips, teeth and tongue explore his body while his fingers worked him open slowly, with care. 

Pressing a lingering kiss first to Danny's forehead and then to his lips, Claude pulled back and reached over the bed, his long frame extending over Danny's body, and searched for his pants on the floor. When Claude retrieved the condom and lube from his wallet Danny pulled himself up eye-level with Claude and soundlessly pulled it from him, opening it and rolling it on. Claude cupped the back of Danny's neck as he laid him down on the bed, wrapping one of the older man's legs around his own waist and leaning down just above Danny, and pushed inside of him slowly. He looked up to see the older man chewing on his bottom lip, the faintest light catching the pearls of sweat forming on his brow. Danny let out a small gasp as Claude pressed into him fully, waiting a few heartbeats until Danny nodded at him. Running a hand down Danny's chest, Claude set a rhythm, slow and burning in both of them. "Claude," Danny whispered as the ginger leaned down and kissed him, using his free hand to push the dampening hair out of Danny's face. Pulling back from the kiss he smiled down at Danny. 

"You're so beautiful" Claude whispered back. He lifted Danny's leg higher on his waist and the change in angle caused the smaller man to writhe beneath him, clutching at the sheets. 

"Claude, I-" His words were cut off back a sharp intake of breath his muscles tightened and he spilled into the space between himself and Claude. Claude let out a low moan and followed Danny over the edge, dipping down to kiss him. He carefully pulled out and discarded the condom, laying next to the other man and pulling him in close to his chest. Caressing his hair, Claude whispered. "I love you too, I always have." He held Danny tight and eventually drifted off to sleep. 

 

They both slept until the sun began to rise and pour into the room, casting warm rays on their skin. Claude was the first to wake, gripping at his aching head and squinting his eyes against the light. He gathered his clothes from the floor and started to put them back on as Danny began to stir. Claude's eyes misted over as he pulled his shirt back on and leaned down onto the bed next to Danny. "I have to go, there's a flight to Toronto I have to catch." He let his thumb trace the line of Danny's cheekbone as he spoke. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll call you, okay?" Tears slid down his face as Danny sat up to kiss him. He pulled back, pressing his forehead against Claude's.

"You better." He smiled weakly as he watched Claude leave, shutting the door behind himself.

 

Danny didn't tell anyone the exact date he planned on leaving, if he was being honest with himself he didn't really know either. One day though, he decided it was enough and made the drive up to his new place in Montreal. He shut the door to his house, so empty and hollow, behind him. He tried so hard not to turn around and take it in, every impromptu street hockey game with his boys, every late-night beer and pizza team-bonding party, but he failed. Danny took a few moments to collect himself before exhaling, wiping his eyes and turning the key over in the ignition. He backed out of the driveway, and for the last time in a long while, drove down the street.


	2. Epilogue

Danny hadn't been subtle by any stretch of the imagination about his desire to come back and retire in Philadelphia. His two years in Montreal were winding down and his agent had already been in contact with Hextall, who was fairing much better as a GM than Holmgren had. He did ask, however, that nothing be announced right away. Instead of notifying his once-again teammates Danny only told his family, keeping everyone else in the dark. As he made his preparations for the drive back to Philly, he pulled out a small black box, wrapped his in his Flyers sweater, and tucked them both into a bag that he placed on the front seat next to him. 

The drive back to New Jersey seemed to take way longer than the standard seven hours and Danny was restless by the time he pulled up outside the apartment complex. It had been a while since he had visited Claude, and his hands were shaking lightly as he tugged the jersey on over his head, pocketing the box. He flattened his hair in the elevator as he rode it few floors to Claude's apartment. He knocked lightly on the door, not even knowing if the other man was home. Danny's breath caught in his throat as Claude opened the door. He watched as waves of emotion over took the ginger's face, surprise, confusion and sheer happiness as he was pulled into a deep embrace. "Danny, what are you-" Danny cut him off before he could finish.

"I'm coming back to Philly. For good." He squirmed to pull away from Claude's towering form. "And I don't want to do it alone." Danny pulled the box out of his pocket, his joints popping as he sank down to one knee. "Claude…" He opened the box to reveal two shimmering white gold bands. Claude sucked in a breath and pulled Danny up by his shoulders. 

"Yes, of course yes, a million times yes." He hugged Danny even tighter than before, never wanting to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't leave you hanging even if I wanted to :)


End file.
